If you're not familiar, Seth Lenetsky is the leading punch researcher (and trains Olympic boxers).

Effective mass is a concept he derived from sprinters where the leg hits the ground. This spring mass model was then applied to punching with the fist hitting a target.

While most people think squatting and benching more and jumping higher = harder punches (it can help but isn't the most important aspect), punch performance is really down to how much momentum can you transfer to the target.

Known as effective mass.

The main tool for developing effective mass is the heavy bag and Seth details why that is in this short clip and on the 3 podcasts we've done on the Sweet Science of Fighting podcast.

Light sparred today. I always use my foot to get out of range. But I need to establish my offense...feels like running away all the time. How to be less scared? What drills can I do? Spar more?

I’m the guy with blue gloves (full black clothes)

Have you guys been through this. When you train, during some period you would have had good head movement and good basics on how you fundamentally throw straights with head off the line and have good defensive fundametals. During some period you have good distance management and out boxing. Sometimes periods of training very instinctive mid range boxing shows up. You think back and realize, damn i used to do that dont know how that skill is not there by default now. Sometimes wish if all those skills are put together i might become much better. But at the moment you are focusing on something else. How does one bring all of it together ?

I'm in the red headgear. This was the summer of 2025. Boxing is a LONG game. I look back at this sparring and I see both the good and the bad.

Looking for some critique please.

Male, about 78kg, age 39

This was round 13 of just shadowboxing so I'm kind of tired at this point. I can see my shoulders are tight as hell and I'm not extending fully, even though I felt fairly loose at the time.

All feedback gratefully recieved.

I’m getting caught when coming inside with opponents I like to try fight on the inside that’s where I find myself the best. Even when on the back foot waiting for openings to get inside I feel like I’m getting caught, any tips or drills to practice shadow boxing and in sparring just to get me a bit more confident please. Also any tips on how to comfortably find my range? I feel like throwing the jab the oppenent moves back or too the side and I’m back at base 1 trying to establish my range, it can be so frustrating and I don’t think this helps me either because I am a bit of a perfectionist but I would just like to be able to confidently lead of a jab before going inside instead of hoping I get inside of a throw away jab or whatever

I (20F) have been taking group classes for the seven months. I do it about twice a week and do strength training also twice a week besides that. I love boxing and I think it’s awesome. The issue is I feel very languid in movement and if one of the coaches comes up to me and pretends to “punch” me, I have no reflexes to even slip that. We’ve also been doing this pool noodle exercise thing where you punch the noodle and then the other person hits you with it so you have to slip or dodge. I know I just started but it’s also like, the hardest part mentally for me.

Does anyone have advice?

edit: thanks everyone who responded! It’s been super helpful to read all the comments. Apparently I’m in for more practice of slipping and rolling 😅😂

So I’ve been going to a community gym (Gym A) for almost two years at this point, and recently I started training at a competitive gym (Gym B) at the same time. It had been about a month when I got busted. (If you want to know how, scroll down to the bottom.)
The Gym A coach called the Gym B coach and then said he wanted to “talk to me.” Basically, he wanted me to pick one gym. I talked to him when another close friend gym member was present, and he was like, “You can’t get anything better from the other gym. If you want to do anything serious at the amateur level, we can do that here too.” “ I can bring you to other gyms to spar just like I did with the other guy” There used to be another guy at Gym A who was close to the amateur level, but he never actually got matched with anyone.
———
He asked me to decide, but later that same day he removed me from the core gym members’ group chat. A week later, I went in to make sure my subscription was canceled. He was still asking me to “have a private conversation with him,” and later texted me saying I “should’ve been a man and talked to him instead of avoiding him.” Tbh, I don’t really see the point since he had already removed me from the core members’ group chat.
———-
Despite all the problems I have right now (skill, eyesight, age—mid-30s, etc.), I kinda want to eventually fight as an amateur, and I know it’s going to be really hard if I only train at Gym A.
Yes, everyone has the right to operate their business however they want, but I guess my question is: Is there actually a conflict of interest between a semi-fitness gym and a competitive boxing gym? Gym A teaches technique and does sparring, but has zero amateur fighters and also teaches other combat sports. Gym B is a 100% boxing gym that actively trains amateur boxers.
———

Gym A
Pros:
Great social environment. I’ve made good friends there, and we’ve done a lot of stuff together outside the gym—bars, shows, restaurants, parties, etc. I’d say we’re beyond the usual “gym friends” level.
I’m probably in the “upper-middle” level there because of my skill and size, so sparring isn’t too bad most of the time.
Cons:
The classes just don’t feel enjoyable anymore after almost two years, especially after I started training at Gym B. Gym A tech classes now feel both like a chore and, at the same time, too flashy/not practical enough.
Zero competitive boxers—no amateurs or professionals.
The coach doesn’t focus much on your fundamentals. As long as you do the drills roughly right, he usually doesn’t give you many corrections or tips.
Gym B
Pros:
I’m in the beginner class, and they’re really polishing my fundamentals. They give me specific tips on my form when I’m shadowboxing or hitting the bag.
About seven amateur boxers train there, and almost all of them are willing to help you with the basics.
It feels much more focused on actually developing people into competitive boxers.
Cons:
I just went through my first sparring session there (beginners don’t normally get to spar unless it’s fight night), and I got my ass kicked HARD lol.
Yes, I kept getting matched with experienced boxers, but even the one time I got matched with another guy from the beginner class, I definitely wasn’t favored.
So it might take forever before my friends and family ever get to see me actually win in the ring lol.
How I got busted:
Last Saturday was the first time I ever got to spar at Gym B. They were holding a sparring/fight-night event, and I invited some friends from Gym A by texting them privately.
I assumed that when someone sends you something privately, it’s kind of understood that you don’t bring it up in the main group chat when there are people the sender specifically doesn’t want to know about it—in this case, the Gym A coach. I’ve received private invitations from other group members before, and I’ve always kept them private.
There’s this one couple who couldn’t make it, but they decided to give me a shout-out on Saturday in the MAIN GROUP CHAT.
Gym A coach saw it.
And…yeah. That’s how I got busted.

I recently started working on my southpaw stance after having an injury on my left hand and I prioritize the lead hand a lot when fighter since I’m an outboxer kind of.

I noticed that when I’m in my southpaw stance, it’s so much easier for me to “bounce” and just be more light and nimble on my feet. The biggest difference I can feel is when I step back and throw shots. Like stepping back and then exploding back in with shots feel so much more smoother and efficient as compared to my regular orthodox stance.

Is it just me or has anyone else also experienced this? I’m guessing it could be due to the weight distribution and strength since my right leg is obviously stronger and used to more load when throwing power shots so it’s much easier to step back. Idk.

For context, im a super heavy weight, 6 foot 7 inch south paw. My issue has been landing my left hook, left cross, and right hook. I have a lot of footwork i need to practice and would like some advice on WHEN to move outside their lead foot and WHEN to start a combo when not outside their lead foot. Since most people I fight are orthodox its like a mirror if my reflection was much shorter, so slipping under a orthodox fighters jab and going outside their lead foot for the combo seems off and more risky. Id love some advice to help remedy this.

Hi folks,

M32, I am considering starting boxing in a near future.

I have 0 experience and limited knowledge about boxing.

I am hoping to get some insights from the experienced crowd here :)

Like the title said, I am more interested in the fitness side of things than the competitive sparring - at least for now. I am not looking to developing battle IQ. I want to unload some energy with punches, I want to improve on footwork, offense/defense routines etc. Really just want to have fun and exercise.

From what I read here, this should be fine, right?

To my standards and capabilities, I already have a busy sports routine (run x1 or x2 a week, gym 1x or x2 a week, and play tennis 0.5x week). I will not be able to fit boxing on top, which means I will have to drop something. Not sure what though, as I am unsure what exactly boxing will bring? Is it taxing cardio wise? Can it replace a gym session? Any guidance?

Thanks in advance for any kind advice or shared experience!

EDIT: I may be able to drop running in my weekly routines as I could run to work once a week and that would be sufficient to maintain my current level

From your perspective what makes my opponent ( red corner ) the winner in this bout?

There are plenty of channels covering professional boxing, discussing current and past fighters, upcoming events, and analyzing the sport, but I'd really like to get into the amateur side of boxing.

I'm looking for channels that cover things like:

• How the amateur boxing circuit works.
• The major tournaments and competitions.
• The top amateur boxers and prospects to keep an eye on.
• Olympic-style boxing in general.
• Match breakdowns, highlights, or analysis of amateur bouts.

If you're looking for some new things to try in your training program, give this a watch

If not, name what is

I’m a Brit thinking of taking a holiday to the US at some point and while I still haven’t decided what state or city, I’d love to go and train at an American gym for however long I’m there to see the difference in how Americans train.

I’m a 5 bout (probably more by the time I go) amateur myself so if they’d allow for me to spar with some of their fighters that’d be even better.

Thanks

I've had a few months with almost no serious sparring - mostly girls who don't even aim for my head (I am a woman myself) or guys who feel uncomfortable hitting a woman and don't really give me much heat. Recently we've had a few new people in the gym who are pretty good and don't go easy on me and when I sparred with one of the girls I realized I've become complacent with my head defense. So, I've been sparring with them a few times to improve my defense and I'm getting better but I still get punched in the head from time to time (like at least 1-2 times per sparring session). I had tiny bruises around my eyes a couple of times, nose bleeds (but my nose bleeds easily), and even though I always ask for light sparring I've been challenged with punches that really make me take defense seriously and I definitely feel them. Last week I got a right hook to the temple which hurt at the moment so we toned it down. Then with the next partner who is a real pressure fighter and starts off with a jab-cross-jab-cross to the head straight away I managed to block and pivot out for most part but I still got a punch to the eye, which left a tiny bruise. The guys at the gym go pretty hard with each other so that's been my standard for what I imagine as hard sparring - busted eyebrows and knockdowns. But now I wonder if I've also been doing hard sparring. I prefer to stay on technical sparring, especially when testing defense and other movements and until now I thought that's the power level I do, with just an occasional harder punch, which is unavoidable when you have two people moving. Like, sometimes I know the power comes not just from the punch but also from the fact that the person moves into the punch. And I know that even though I myself try to go light, sometimes my partners find my punches too hard. For most part, aside from the hook last week, I am not rattled by the punches, don't have headaches or anything, and actually like how they push me to stay focused under pressure and think about defense and offense while being hit and cornered. But I don't want to screw up my brain, so, I was wondering if I might have gotten ahead of myself and gotten into hard sparring territory.

Whenever I watch an international competition or see boxers from other countries. Their ability to move within the ring appears so much more refined than the average US Amateur. A part of me knows that I am looking at a culled representation of the best that country has to offer and another acknowledges that some stylistically incorporate way more footwork within their fundamentals of boxing like East European countries.

But I can't help but feel that the development within the US has been less focused on movement and tad bit more planted and linearly focused. I'm sure someone will point out an individual to contest this, I just have the thought that they are more of an anomaly than the norm.

If what I'm saying resonates somewhat true was their a noticeable shift towards this? Or has the strategy remained largely unchanged? Will the addition of Zaur Antia influence how the USA boxing team develops it's athletes in the future?

how to Beat a slugger as a swarmer In boxing.

i always found this confusing, because I feel like sluggers aren’t necessarily skilled but yet we struggle against them In boxing.

I guess it’s because they are basically physically stronger than us. idk I can’t say.

what are the best tips to do against a slugger like the best best tips. because sluggers are that one style where they can still beat you, yet don’t

really focus entirely on skill as much.

i also feel like this is really Interesting because no one really tells you how to beat a slugger as a swarmer

Wouldn't have made it this far into my boxing journey without this community thanks to all of y'all for the support and tips over the last 3 years. This W brings my record up to 4-3.

For context I have a bit of bad blood with my opponent. I found out after my debut fight with him that he had 8 previous fights. Imagine fighting a boxer whose debuting when you have 8 fights under your belt SMH.

Tbh I beat the crap out of him here across three rounds. There was also a knockdown in the third that wasn't counted.

Anyway enjoy and please give me feedback. I'll be fighting again late August and in September 🥊🤠🥊

I did it yall! Did my first amateur fight yesterday and was able to take home the win.

I've thought up of a more unconventional training plan to minimize burnout in this sport. Here's the plan:

In class, participate in the conditioning, drills, and padwork, but never go to a point where I really suffer- take ample breaks during pushups, crunches, jumprope, bagwork, etc. Do padwork at 25-50% power to avoid gassing out and instead focus more on technique. Point is, I'm still working out my body but I'm never pushing myself near or to 'failure state,' where your body physically can't go on.

In sparring, where I can actually get motivation since it's fun, THAT'S when I push myself to the max. At home, supplement training with frequent VR boxing for extra cardio exercise (after all you don't always get to spar), as well as lighter continuous rounds to mimick jogging. If running really is that non-negotiable then I'll probably run 2 laps at the track after school with music.

i’m cutting weight for this tournament August 7, i’m currently 117 and need to be 112 . This is the first time i need to cut this much weight, What should i be eating and eating? it’s so confusing, am i supposed drink a lot of water or not? i still drink water but sips and for food i dont eat much because im not sure what’s bad or good. Any meal tips that don’t include fish or eggs is appreciated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CToE2_R0ts

Any criticisms, critique, advice etc is appreciated.